Apple M1 Ultra vs AMD Ryzen 9 3900

Processor comparisons   21-10-2022
   If you can't decide which processor to buy, you can make a decision after reading the comprehensive tests Apple M1 Ultra vs AMD Ryzen 9 3900 and see which is better for games or normal use for machine learning, video editing, programming, streaming, rendering. Here you can find useful information from several benchmarks or real streaming and video editing tests. A careful analysis of all the specifications, so that it can be easier to understand, is summarized in the table.
   From the comparison video, you can get the results of parallel examination in special testing software like Blender, SuperPi, Prime95, World of Tanks enCore Benchmark, Gears 5, UserBenchmark, 3DMark, Cinebench 23 (20, 15), DaVinci Resolve Studio, Handbrake, GeekBench 6, 5.2, VeraCrypt, WPrime, PassMark, AIDA64, Dolphin Emulator, MATLAB, Furmark, Blender, RealBench, 7zip, PCMark 10.
   Gaming performance of CPUs in:

Overwatch
World of Warcraft: Shadowlands
Fallout 76
Rainbow Six Siege
Fortnite
Last Man Standing
Red Dead Redemption 2
Valheim
Call of Duty: Warzone and Modern Warfare
Borderlands 3
Grand Theft Auto V
Halo Infinite
Apex Legends
DOOM: Eternal
Valorant
Assassin's Creed Valhalla
Death Stranding
Watch Dogs Legion
Cyberpunk 2077

After reading the results of all benchmarks and videos, you can already make an informed decision about which processor is better to buy for gaming AMD Ryzen 9 3900 or Apple M1 Ultra.

Summary benchmark results

As a percentage of the maximum value based on a sample from the entire base of all processors
Processor Benchmark

M1 Ultra

68%

Ryzen 9 3900

59%

This value shows the performance of the processors in single-threaded and multi-threaded mode. In this comparison, M1 Ultra is 13% better than Ryzen 9 3900. The data source is several popular tests. Detailed information can be found below.

Gaming performance
Summary result of all game benchmarks.

M1 Ultra

64%

Ryzen 9 3900

57%

The maximum result in this parameter is 100 percent, which is the performance of the most powerful processor at the moment. And it is clear that this is a server processor, on which no one will run games. Because this processor costs several tens of thousands of dollars. Therefore, if you think that the selected CPU has a little game result, just look at the FPS that it produces in real games in the summary table below.
List of other games in which CPU comparisons were performed: League of Legends (LOL), NBA 2K20, Microsoft Flight Simulator, Control, Ghostrunner, DOTA 2A, Forza Horizon 4, PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds (PUBG), Horizon Zero Dawn, Shadow of the Tomb Raider, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS GO), Monster Hunter World, Metro Exodus, Battlefield V, Resident Evil 7 Biohazard, Half-Life: Alyx, Hitman 3.

Gaming benchmark

Fortnite	113.1	101.6
Valorant	128.6	115.5
Cyberpunk 2077	72.0	64.7
Apex Legends	120.8	108.6
Call of Duty Warzone	96.4	86.6
Overwatch	104.1	93.5
Red Dead Redemption 2	88.7	79.7
DOOM Eternal	64.3	57.7
Warzone	100.3	90.1
Assassin's Creed	108.0	97.0
Valheim	106.7	95.9

The numbers in this table indicate the maximum FPS that was received on the device with the corresponding processor. Depending on the configuration of the computer (RAM size and Video Card) and graphics quality settings (Ultra, Medium, Normal), the results may differ quite significantly. We recommend that you better study the results of the Cinebench, GeekBench and Passmark becnmarks.
The computers that were in the comparisons not only did they have different amounts of RAM and different video cards. But users also tested them at different screen resolutions: 4K, 2K or FullHD. So the game benchmark data is approximate. But all video cards met the average system requirements of games. You will get more accurate information about how powerful the processor will be in games, if you get acquainted with the benchmarks that are made with the same video card that is installed in your computer.

Power consumption

M1 Ultra

272%

Ryzen 9 3900

67%

To make a final resolution on which processor is better, you should also consider the generation of its core. It is clear that the newer the generation, the better the performance of the processor in games and benchmarks, as well as its energy efficiency. In this case the M1 Ultra is more energy efficient than the Ryzen 9 3900 since it has less power consumption: 20W vs. 65W. Power consumption is especially important for laptops. And TDP should be taken into account when choosing a processor cooling system. It is necessary to calculate so that the TDP data specified in the cooler specification is greater than the TDP of the compared processor.

Software benchmarks

Let's say you plan to use the processor not only for gaming, but also for video editing or video rendering, streaming, programming, machine learning, then first of all you need to pay attention to the performance in multi-threaded mode. In this mode, to reach maximum performance, the CPU uses all threads and cores that it has. You will learn this data from the benchmark tables below. Before you take into account the data from these tests, be sure to check whether the program you are going to use on your computer supports multi-threaded mode. Since there are still many programs that can use only one core to run, and all the benefit of multi-core mode are unused.
Cinebench 23, 20 an 15
The results of this benchmark show Single-threaded and Multi-threaded CPU performance

	Apple M1 Ultra	AMD Ryzen 9 3900
Cinbench 15 Single-core	555	196
Cinbench 15 Multi-core	3252	2922
Cinbench 20 Single-core	1103	485
Cinbench 20 Multi-core	5583	6789
Cinbench 23 Single-core	4240	1149
Cinbench 23 Multi-core	21959	16943

Passmark
This popular benchmark displays Multi-threaded and Single-threaded processor performance

	Apple M1 Ultra	AMD Ryzen 9 3900
Single-Core	9611	2627
Multi-Core	62194	30807

GeekBench 6, 5.2
This benchmark shows Multi-threaded and Single-threaded processor performance

	Apple M1 Ultra	AMD Ryzen 9 3900
Single-Core	1637	1324
Multi-Core	24642	13362

Comparison of specifications

In the specification comparison table, the most helpful will be the release date of the processor and the possibility of overclocking it. The newer the processor, the longer it will last in your computer. And the easier it will be to upgrade the system later. The same benefits from the presence of overclocking. When the processor can be overclocked, increasing its performance, then it will continue to maintain maximum FPS in the newest games. The economy are obvious! It turns out that you do not need to buy a new CPU to enjoy the games any longer.

	Apple M1 Ultra	AMD Ryzen 9 3900
Announcement date	April 09, 2022	September 30, 2019
Type	Desktop	Desktop
Socket	M1	AM4
Core name	16x Firestorm and 4x Icestorm	Matisse
Architecture	hybrid (big.LITTLE)	Zen 2
Generation	1	2
Turbo Frequency		4.2 MHz
Frequency	3.2 MHz	3.1 MHz
Cores	20	12
Threads	20	24
Bus rate
Bit	64	64
Lithography	5 nm	7 nm
Transistors count	114000 millions	7800 millions
Power consumption (TDP)	20 W	65 W
Memory type	LPDDR5 - Up to 6400MHz	DDR4
Max. Memory	128 Gb
Memory Frequency	6400	3200
Memory bandwidth	818 GByte/s
L1 cache	4MB	768KB
L2 cache	48MB	6MB
L3 cache	96MB	64MB
Overclocking	No	No
Supports ECC	No	No
Part number	APL1W06	100-000000072

In this comparison block, you should pay attention to the differences in clock speed and the number of cores. Here M1 Ultra is 3% better than Ryzen 9 3900 in terms of CPU frequency. Another difference is that M1 Ultra has 8 more core than Ryzen 9 3900. Also keep in mind that high CPU frequency affects battery life through power consumption (relevant for laptops).

Result:
The number of parameters for which Apple M1 Ultra is better: 30
The number of parameters for which AMD Ryzen 9 3900 is better: 6
The summary data that you have looked at here do not mean that taking them into account you should completely trust a simple quantitative comparison. Be sure to watch benchmarks video and read the opinion of real owners of Apple M1 Ultra and AMD Ryzen 9 3900 before making a decision which of the processors to buy for gaming.

Apple M1 Ultra - all data

• Cinebench r15 score
• Cinebench r20 score
• Cinebench r23 score
• GeekBench 6, 5.2 score

• Apple M1 Ultra specs and review.

• AMD Ryzen 9 3900 specs and review.